TrippingStep

Because we don't have the midfielders and a right back to do it I guess.

There was only pace when there were the 4 changes of Dembele, Mertens Lukaku and De Bruyne around the hour mark. Especially Lukaku and Mertens who were running at their defence. The Dutch midfield wasn't even trying and was watching them run. It was a friendly with no real intensity in both sides. At the end of the match, the dutch players were even smiling with the belgians.

He never gives his best in friendly games. Don't watch him in friendly games. Even with Lille last year when he was in great form in the beginning of the competition, he wasn't doing much in the friendly games. I remember also a match of French cup against a 5th division league team, Cole scored 3 goals and he wasn't sweating.

It's the fault of the belgian press who with the help of Anderlecht who wanted money was praising him way too much. And he was easy to talk to. I remember that after a match with the national team where he scored two times against Russia, he was given the best grade by some newspaper. The first one being a gift of the goalkeeper who gave the ball to Hazard who gave it back to Lukaku with no one in front of the goal. His second was after a long ball where a defender misjudged it and was going under it while the other one bounced off him. The rest of the match he was awful. Offside a ton of times and not even because of runs but just because he was staying still while the defense was moving up. Not once in a link-up position to help the midfield. All the dangerous actions were coming from Hazard and Fellaini that often linked up. He did nothing besides his goals, one being a gift but he received a 9 out of 10 for his performance.

Like Ramires is when he has a lot of space. I'm not a fan of Remy, as a back-up striker as he has pace and is quite a good header why not. He hasn't got a good first touch, is below average when running with the ball and lacks vista. A bit like Ramires who seems to be blinded in the peripheral vision when he is on the wing.

I think it's that our senior players have had success in a playing style and don't want to change their habits. I've read an interview of Cech when he said to don't expect a changing style, only small adjustements for this season as they had plenty of success the last years with their playing style. They are used to play in a certain fashion and don't want to change or adapt. I think that for a real change it will only happen when the historical leaders of the dressing room will retire

When I edited, it's missing the bit about me wanting the club going for Capoue as defensive midfielder. He wouldn't get outmuscled and he would follow his man and going centre back if needed. Example of a centre back helping and covering a full back.

I would like to see us going for Capoue for defensive midfielder. He wouldn't get outmuscled and he could follow his man and going in centre back if a central defender comes to help a fullback. ------------------------------------------------------------------Cech-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------Azpilicueta-----------------------Ivanovic---------------------Luiz or Cahill-------------------Cole--------- ------------------------------------------------------------Capoue--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------Ramires-------------------------------------Oscar--------------------------------- -------------------Mata----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hazard-------- --------------------------------------------------Torres or Cavani---------------------------------------------- And if we have difficulties against stronger opponents, we can change this formation and change Hazard or Mata for Sturridge who would be more direct in a counter attack. It's a theorical formation and if we are higher the pitch, Oscar would be higher on the pitch with Ramires holding his position unless he can rush through a lot of space.

50% of the problem is an overstatement for me. Ivanovic is not a natural right back, Terry is past his prime and is slower and slower. Mikel and Lampard playing deep in midfield is not good. I remember Gerrad Lampard in the midfield playing for England in the world cup 2006, it was awful. Good players but they were not used to play in that system. The team lacks mobility in the back and in the deeper positions in midfield.

Not a great start and unusual for him to miss it completely as he is usually quite good with his backheels. Besides that, if it had succeed, Cole would have been alone on the left. And on this gif, where are the midfielders, there is just mikel i guess on the left deeper and no one else And Kojo, you will always be disappointed by him because you have a misconception about him, he is not a player like Ronaldo who has a forward mentality. Even if he failed miserably on this action, it's more like his game, moving players along him on one direction and then playing the man on the opposite with a trick or quick turn on the space he vacated by moving. And I don't know why you compared him to Mata on this match as Mata did no world class actions on this match either.

I don't understand how the ref could give the fault to Torres. It was a blatant obstruction as he cuts across Torres and not going to the ball.

I will follow the team, it's always interesting to see how a team evolve during a season and the years after. I will follow Chelsea and Lille his former club.

N'Koulou is very good. I think that some very good clubs are scouting him. If not this year, I think he will go in a big club next year. Mapou and him are the two central defenders in ligue1 that big clubs will buy. Capoue for me is the best defensive midfielder of ligue 1.

At Lilles, It was the fullbacks who were giving width to the team. And the "wingers" would exchange their positions quite often. When they were champions, in the second half of the season, they would play more like a 4-3-1-2 with Hazard behind Gervinho who would make the runs and Sow who was the target and also there to finish the actions. Last season, in the beginning he played a lot in midfield, coming quite deep very often, Lille was having a lot of possession but lacked firework upfront as they lost Gervinho who was the guy making many runs and they've lost also the best cm with Cabaye who was orchestrating and dictating the tempo of the game the year before. Joe cole was even playing more upfront in the beginning of the year, as he had not the legs to play in midfield, he was quite useful as the guy who he would link up for driving throuhg lanes. As the team were tired after the first part of the season, they change their way of playing, sitting deeper with less pressing, moving Hazard upfront behind the targetman DeMelo and using his pace in counter attack. And in the european u17 championship when he attracted interest of big clubs, he was not playing as a winger, he was playing everywhere asking the ball, initiating almost all the offense of the team. He never played like a true winger, like the Valencia and others of Man Utd. I've read that Ferguson would have liked to train him in a Scholes mould. Their interest was not for playing him as a winger.

I like your formation. If we sign Azpilicueta, I would put him on the right back. Ivanovic as a back-up in centre back and right back if needed or even as a centre back in the first team. What I like the most is that the midfield would have more pace for pressing opponents. Romeu and Oscar good on the ball and Ramires who would help on both end of the field.

Azpilicueta must be our first Right Back. Ivanovic is ok if we play defensive with the midfield line close to the defenders. But otherwise, I would prefer Azpilicueta as he has more agility and is quite good on one on one situation.

The Bundesliga is a step up in midfield and attack in general, but in the back four the Bundesliga is for me a step down on Ligue1.

On this topic, I fully agree with Kojo. We don't have the two midfielders who are used to control the tempo of the game, who covers where needed in the field. Moving from left to right and vice versa, for a 2 against 1 pressing on the side, or ready to intercept passes if we play high on the pitch.

I'm worried with the comment of Di Matteo regarding the style of play.

Great video. And besides the quality of the player. What is great to see on his is that you can see that Brazil doesn't play to put that many people in the box. They pass the ball 30 meters of the goal, waiting to set-up play and sudden burst of acceleration. Change of rythm and penetration. I hope to see this style of play for the team but I'm affraid that we won't see it. Maybe in 2013-2014 with a new coach and some legend player of the club retiring.

It was only a friendly and many players didn't try very hard. But what is the most worrying thing is that against team that sit very deep is that I don't see a good pattern of play to break down the defenses. It seems like the only idea was to put people in the box and around it and cross a ball into it. Against team sitting deep like that, the midfield don't need to go straight towards the box, they can be 15-20 meters backwards passing the ball and waiting to set-up plays when players can run towards the goal. And while some players can go to receive a cross, there must be players that plays in front of the defenders their back towards the goal as a link-up possibility to give the ball to the players that have the game in front of them.

You can track back to the season before with Ancelotti, after two good months in the beginning with some beautiful football, the team imploded. I remember the first match against Marseille, it was such a tidy and beautiful performance, I didn't understand the lacklustre performance the rest of the season.

I think the lack of 1-2 interchanges and poor defending have the similar issue. When players move out of position, you don't see other players fill in the positions. Many players aren't used to this style of play.

Awful match to see. I don't understand why Hazard played the whole match as he seems disinterested and in a "I don't give a damn" mood. There was no pace in this match as nearly all players were in slow motion.

The ref forgot to whistle two penalties for Spain.